The Price of War
by Dawnfire11
Summary: The war was lost. No matter how hard the Skandians had fought, the Temujai had still overcome them, wiping out the Skandian armies and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Now, Halt and Will are war prisoners with no hope of escape. Can they manage to survive and save Araluen at the same time?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello everyone! I had the idea for this fanfiction a little while ago and I finally decided to start writing it. It originally started out as a one shot for my other story, 100 Stars in the Sky, but it quickly turned into a full length story. **

**I would like to dedicate this chapter to my reviewers for 100 Stars in the sky. If any of you guys are reading this, you rock! XD **

**Anyways, lets get this show on the road! **

**Note: This takes place in the book 'The Battle for Skandia' and will have spoilers for books 1-4. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ranger's Apprentice... **

**Warning: Descriptions of war and violence**

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Chapter 1

Silence was the first thing he was aware of. The only sound he could hear was someone's ragged breathing, wheezing and rugged. It took him a moment to realize that it was the sound of his own breath.

The next thing he noticed was the awkward position at which his hands were tied above his head. He could feel his shoulder blades grind together as he shifted, trying to get more comfortable. The movements only caused the thick rope to tear into the soft flesh of his wrists, hot blood dripping down his arms. He stopped moving as pain built in his left forearm, making his chest constrict .

He peeled his eyes open, looking around himself. He couldn't see anything, the room shrouded in complete darkness. He couldn't feel the floor beneath his feet and he kicked uselessly, realizing that he was hanging from the ceiling. His breath came in short gasps, his heart pounding in his chest rapidly.

"Halt?" he called out in fear, his voice cracking. There was no answer and he realized that he was alone.

And that was when he remembered.

X-X-X-X-X-X

"Position three!" Will called, bringing his bow up into position. His fingers fumbled at the string for a moment, and he took a calming breath, his mind clearing as he knocked an arrow.

"Ready!" Evanlyn called.

"Draw!" Will cried, nodding once at Horace, who was standing beside him.

"Shields down!" Horace cried, and then Will gave the order to shoot, his own arrow flying ahead of them and hitting an approaching Temujai warrior straight in the throat.

"Shields up!" Horace called again, bringing his own shield up over his friend. Arrows thudded on the wall of shields. Men dropped around them and Will's stomach fell as he saw how few of the Skandian archers were left standing.

"Half left, position two!" Will yelled, barely waiting for Evanlyn's call of ready before signaling for Horace to lower their defenses.

"Draw...Fire!" He called, watching as more of the Temujai warriors fell from their horses, blood spilling onto the battleground and pooling in the trampled earth. But this was still not enough, the Skandian lines weakening as the opposing force bore down upon them.

"They have targeted us," Horace cried, and Will spun around, his eyes managing to make out a group of Temujai horsemen riding towards them up the slope, gray dust swirling around in the air as the horses galloped closer.

"To the left!" Will cried, and the few archers that were still standing turned. "Position three! Draw and fire!"

It was apparent to everyone that their attempts were futile. His men began to panic, dropping the arrows they had collected onto the ground.

"Don't stop!" Will shouted over them. "If we go down, we go down strong!" He drew his own bow, and in swift, rapid movements, he emptied half a dozen Temujai saddles.

But it was no use. Will felt fear and adrenaline pulse through him as he realized they would not be able to avoid close combat any more. The Temujai had reached them.

Will barely had the time to pull his knives out of his scabbard, blocking the weapon that descended upon him with the double knife defense. He could hear the screams ring in his ears, cries of pain, agony, and war making the blood boil in his body.

He was aware of Horace next to him, desperately swinging his sword, his chainmail dripping with crimson. Horace killed another man, his sword hitting the warrior in the neck with a dull thud.

Will twisted his wrist, his throwing knife spinning through the air and thudding into the side of a warrior whom was approaching. The ranger's apprentice, now holding only his sax knife in his sweaty palms, faced his opponents, his knees buckling in fear. More men were flooding over them.

"Evanlyn!" He cried behind him, glancing back at the girl who was crouched in the dust. "You need to get to safety!"

He didn't even take the time to check to see if she had listened, throwing himself at the nearest man. He felt something connect with his shoulder, pain flaring in his arm and making him drop his weapon.

Time seemed to slow. Will fell to his knees in the mud, the world spinning around him. He could feel the warm blood trickling down his arm as he struggled to get to his feet, to defend himself against the Temujai warrior that stood in front of him.

The warrior brought his sword up, the blade glinting in the sunlight. Will didn't close his eyes, staring defiantly at the man, trying not to show the fear that was bottled up inside of him, threatening to escape at any moment.

Suddenly, a shout rang out across the group of surrounding Temujai, a harsh voice that cut through the sounds of war like a clap of thunder.

"Stop!" a voice shouted. Will watched with relief as the sword halted in its descent, the Temujai warrior immediately putting the weapon tip down in the blood soaked mud.

"Whom do we have here?" The voice was cold and calculating, sending small shivers up and down Will's spine. The apprentice tried to stand a little straighter, eyes scanning the wall of Temujai around him, looking for the speaker.

A man stepped forwards from the group, a sword gripped in his hands. His face was hidden by his helmet, a pair of ice blue eyes staring down at the two men.

"Two Araluens... one a ranger?" The man said, his voice betraying no emotions. He turned to look at the warriors behind him. "Do not kill these two men! Haz'kam may find them useful..."

And with that, the man brought the hilt of his sword down upon Will's head, sending an explosion of pain in his head and making him fall face down. He heard another thud beside him as Horace was given the same treatment.

The last thing he heard was the man's calm voice calling orders to the Temujai warriors. "Kill all of the other archers. They are of no use to me."

Darkness overtook him.

**TBC**

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**A/N: There you are! I hope you guys enjoyed that first chapter. **

**Thank you so much for reading! I would really appreciate any comments you have on this chapter. **

**Oh, on another note, if any of you are Potterheads, I just created an RP forum. There is a link on my profile page. The forum is called 'Going back to Hogwarts!' I would love it if you joined!**

**Live long and prosper! **

**-Dawn **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello everyone! Just a few things before we move to the story. **

**Updates will be slow because I have a lot going on right now. But I will not abandon this story! Do not fear!**

**Thank you to all of the reviews! I am so glad you all enjoy it so far and I hope you like this chapter as well!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ranger's Apprentice... **

**Warning: War... violence...**

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Chapter 2

Halt was afraid. It was an unusual experience for him to feel fear, always choosing to push aside any form of weakness and take action. The last time he had felt this kind of helplessness was when Will had been captured by the Skandian's and taken away from him, on the boat headed far away.

The fear he was experiencing now was very similar, overwhelming him for a moment as he watched.

He watched as the Temujai broke through the Skandian lines, watched as they quickly demolished the Skandian army. He watched as the archer unit was demolished, adrenaline smothering him as he lost sight of Will and Horace among the crowd of Temujai.

All he could do was watch. He couldn't move, couldn't defend himself as the Temujai surrounded them. He could barley hear the call for them to surrender over the cries of dying men around him. He turned to Erak nodding his head once when he met the man's eyes.

_It is time_, his expression said. _We must face the inevitable._

Erak gave the signal, and the white flag was raised, high over their heads, unfurling in the wind.

It was over. They had lost.

X-X-X-X-X-X

Evanlyn had waited until the last minute to run. She felt helpless as the Temujai warriors overtook the Skandian army. She heard Will's cry telling her to get out, to run as fast as she could away.

At first, her feet couldn't comply, her mind blank and her thoughts muddled. She was shocked out of her trance when she saw the leader of the Temujai group step forwards.

She ran and she didn't stop running. Not for anything. Her feet pounded against the dirt, branches scratching at her face as she dashed into the trees, not caring where she was going, just as long as she was as far away from the Temujai as possible.

She stumbled, crashing to the ground, the breath rushing from her body, making her vision swim and her head pound. She couldn't move for several minutes as she regained herself, her joints stiff and her muscles protesting.

She sat up, pushing herself against the tree for support, her breath coming in gasps. She closed her eyes for a few moments, trying to organize her thoughts. She needed to get out of Skandia.

She tried to recall the map that Will had made her memorize, showing her the landmarks and pointing out several places that she could take refuge in case things became bad.

"South..." she wheezed aloud. "I've got to go south."

Once she had gained her breath back, she stood, taking a few tentative steps to make sure she wouldn't collapse. She felt sturdy enough, so she set out again, this time making sure she was headed south, glancing at the setting sun to make sure she was headed in the right direction.

She walked until the sun set, thinking about Will and Horace, hoping that they would be okay, hoping that she could make it to Araluen in time to warn them of the impending threat.

X-X-X-X-X-X

Halt vaguely felt someone tie his hands behind his back. He heard someone call his name, but he didn't respond, eyes searching frantically for a small, thin boy among the rest of the war prisoners being herded together. Will was nowhere in sight.

He cursed when he couldn't find his apprentice, turning towards Erak who was stumbling next to him. "I can't find Will," Halt said.

Erak shook his head. "We can only hope that he is alright," Erak muttered as they were led into the city of Hallasholm, down the streets and into the castle.

Halt tried to memorize the corridors, searching for a way out if they managed to escape. Thirty steps, door to the left, stairwell down into the dungeons.

"Where are we?" Halt asked as they were shoved into a dark, damp room, the door slamming shut and a lock clicking in place. There was no candle or windows, the only source of light being the crack under the door.

Halt could just make out the two other people in the cell with him; Erak and Svengal.

"Hallasholm prison," snarled Erak. "This used to be where we kept our own war prisoners... The ones we didn't kill anyways."

"Nice place!" Halt said. "Look! There is even a little cot in the corner... You sure did treat your prisoners like kings!"

Svengal snorted and then the room fell silent. They all sat down on the hard concrete, Halt pulling off his cloak and throwing it over the wooden cot behind him.

"I promised him that I would look after him... that I would never ever let my eye off him again," Halt spoke suddenly, his voice soft.

"Will?" Erak asked. "I am sure he is fine. He can hold his own."

Halt nodded grimly.

"It's been an honor fighting along side you both,"Erak said.

"Do you think they will kill us?" Svengal responded.

"I honestly don't know," Erak replied.

The darkness overwhelmed them, swallowing their hope and leaving them to dwell on their thoughts of what was to come.

**TBC**

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**A/N: I know, I know... There was no Will in this chapter. But I promise he will show up next time. This was more of a transition to show where the other characters are. ****I hope you enjoyed that. I would love it if you leave me a review and tell me what you thought.**

**Live long and prosper! **

**-Dawn **


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